New round of tourist exchanges begins in Pearl River region
( 2003-06-16 16:19) (Xinhua)
A special tourist group arrived in Macao Monday, bringing in some 150 people
from the press and tourist authority in south China's Guangdong Province, who
came at the invitation of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR)
government for a new round of tourist exchanges.
As the impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) wanes, both Macao
and Hong Kong have seen a comeback of short-line travels from neighboring
Guangdong, which was allowed to go ahead of other provinces and cities in the
mainland to resume group travels to Macao and Hong Kong beginning June 1.
Guangdong Province will continue to be the only source of tourists from the
mainland to Macao and Hong Kong till July, when the Chinese tourist authority is
expected to cautiously lift restrictions on tourist flow.
Journalists and tourist officials from Guangdong will go into detailed
discussions with their colleagues in Macao to map out exciting travel routes and
coordinate on joint tourist promotion schemes. One focus of the talks will be
given to tourist flack for the Grand Prix Auto Race slated for October in Macao,
a major international event in Macao this year.
Over the weekend, a group of journalists and tourist officials from Hong Kong
visited Macao for the same purpose. The high-level tourist exchanges among the
three parties in the Pearl River Delta region was designated in a meeting held
in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong, on June 5 in a joint effort to warm up the
tourist market in the wake of the SARS attack. The efforts will be accompanied
with heavy funding spurs. Macao alone has made a 30 million-pataca (US$3.6
million) budget for the tourist revival plan.
An initial effect was visible during the weekend. The Gongbei Land
Checkpoint, which links Macao with Zhuhai City in Guangdong, saw 160,000
passengers on the Father's Day on June 15, some 3,300 of which were in group
travels. The figures were close to the normal amount in the pre-SARS period.
Well-occupied jet-boats shuttling between Macao and Hong Kong have also taken on
a prosperous scene rarely seen since March.
However, tourist insiders said that a slump on long-distance travel routes
has continued its effect.
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